Step 5 - Maintain plant growth

It is important to maintain plant growth once you have planted your
vegetable seeds
and transplants. The best advice I received from a farmer when I was
woofing in England was to take the time to walk through my garden and
observe.

Every day or two I take the time to keep an eye on my
vegetable plants. I look for signs of garden insects or other pests
like slugs or aphids that can cause damage. A little bit of damage is
alright for most plants, however if you can catch this early your plants
will be healthier and more productive.

Your
type of soil
as well as observing your plants will give you some indication when
other requirements are needed for good plant growth. These requirements
are watering, weeding, proper fertilization, and plant protection.

Watering:You
will need to water often enough to keep your vegetable plant growth
steady. Too little will cause your plants to wilt and ultimately kill
the root; too much water will drown the roots resulting in the same
thing. Check out
growing vegetables
for more specifics.

Weeding:A weed is just a plant
growing where you do not want it. A lot of what we call weeds are
actually very beneficial to our soil and plants. Learn more about this
on my page about companion planting.

Even though some weeds can
be beneficial keep your seedlings and sprouting seeds free of weeds.
They can rob young growing vegetable plants of moisture and nutrients
which are vital for good growth. It is best to pull weeds when they
are small and the soil is a bit damp. Never let weeds mature and go to
seed. Once a vegetable plant is bigger you can use
mulch
to help protect them.

Weeding techniques:

Pulling by handmost time consumingsafest way to remove weeds near plantspull weeds when small trying to get the whole rootremove from the garden to the compost

Hoeingbest on areas away from the vegetable plantkeep blades sharppick up chopped weeds and compost them

Using machines (for example rototiller, tractor)good for large garden areasused to control weeds rather than eliminate them, weeds turned over may grow back

Fertilizing and Amending:Vegetable
plants need nourishment for proper plant growth. Different soil
fertilizers may be needed to give your plants a boost during the growing
season. Do this once the plants are established, usually starting 2-4
weeks after planting. See my
vegetable garden journal
for when and how to fertilize your vegetables.

Side dressing:lightly till the dry organic fertilizers into the soil around the plant base, using your hand is probably the easiest or place well rotted compost around the plant basegently water in both

Compost tea
or manure tea:fill a bucket or garbage can 1/4 full with compost or manurefill the container with waterlet this sit at least 24 hoursdilute this mixture with water (1 part tea to 2 parts water)water plants with this mixture

Protection:During
the growing season you can have a variety of weather conditions.
Plants may need to be protected from too much heat, cold or frost, wind,
pests and larger animals. Learn the
10 ways I protect my plants.

Trellis and
staking
:Some vegetables grow best if they are trellised or staked for example pole
beans,snow peas,tomatoes
and
cucumbers.
By trellising or staking you can save space as well as keep fruits from
touching the soil. Put supports in when planting so as not to disturbs
roots later and train and tie as the plant grows.

Trellis and staking techniques

wire cages

tepees made from bamboo or sticks

sturdy wooden frames

tall wooden sticks from wood, metal, bamboo

plastic pea trellis

string between sturdy sticks

The next step to planting a vegetable garden is probably the most fun! Learn more about your
vegetable harvest.